No Life Without Fashion
by tospeakof
Summary: ...or Jasper! The modern-day meeting of Jasper and Alice. My first fanfic - constructive criticism is appreciated! All human, AU.
1. Final Glances

**Disclaimer****:** **Unfortunately, I don't own Twilight – that lucky lady Stephenie Meyer does. However, I do own this plot. I just hope it isn't too bad. XD **

**Author's Note****:** Well this is my first fanfic, so I'd really appreciate constructive criticism. It's going to be **All Human, & Alternate Universe**. Unfortuately this chapter is just about developing the characters partially, so not an awful lot happens. And sorry that it's a bit short. XD I'd sincerely like to thank Benjaro for giving me a title. Yay friends 3 So anyway. Onto the first chapter!

**1. Final Glances**

As Alice stepped out of the door, she looked up at the large, grey building that, tomorrow, she would be leaving for the last time. She'd loved Seattle's Art Institute – the people she'd met, and the friends she'd been able to keep; even the teachers who'd helped her through her course. Not that she'd needed any help, not really. Alice, like the rest of her family, had always been considered as somewhat 'brilliant'; all of her adoptive family had something which they particularly excelled at. Alice's was design, and art; more specifically, fashion.

Ever since she was a small girl, Alice had been fascinated by colours and shapes. As she'd grown, this had turned into a love for clothing and fashion of all different eras, and so she'd chosen to double major in Fashion Design and Marketing at the Art Institute of Seattle. Not only was this the perfect major for Alice to choose, but the college wasn't too far from Forks, her home town – and the place where her adoptive parents, Esme and Carlisle Cullen, lived.

Alice's eyes flickered away from the tall grey building to two people standing a little distance away, looking like they were deep in conversation. The boy – around 6'2" with messy brown hair stood with an arm around a smaller girl's waist. His bright green eyes never left her chocolate brown ones as he laughed at something she'd said; a look of complete adoration taking over his face. The girl's cheeks were rosy from the fresh air, her straight brown hair shining in the sunlight. Alice's eyes were immediately drawn to the clothes they wore- the boy sported a simple green Ralph Lauren shirt with a silver crest and faded jeans. The girl, on the other hand, wore dark brown cotton trousers with flour spilt down them from the morning's activities. Yet to compliment the scruffy trousers, the girl boasted a fashionable cream Abercrombie top: something which had been handpicked by Alice that morning.

The boy with the messy hair was, in fact, Edward Cullen – one of Alice's adopted brothers – and the young woman was Isabella Swan, Edward's fiancée. They both shared a flat with Alice. Edward and Bella had been high-school sweethearts, having met in junior year when Bella had moved to Forks to live with her father, Charlie Swan. She was somewhat considered the saviour of the Cullen family by Alice; they'd been pretty much social outcasts until Edward had opened his mind to Bella, allowed the family to accept someone else into their hearts. Ever since, Bella and Alice's friendship had blossomed, and they now shared a flat. It wasn't massive, but it had personality – probably due to Alice having decorated it – and it was a mere 5 minutes walking distance from the college which they attended.

Bella was majoring in the Culinary Arts and The Art of Cooking at the Art Institute, having shown a flair for cooking – even if it was purely due to survival instincts when faced by Charlie and his freezer-full of fish. Alice, on the other hand, was keen to sit down with a Hawaiian-style pizza night after night, whilst Bella would happily leave the house in bright orange shorts and a purple top: and for this reason, they were perfect flat mates – they balanced each other out.

Along with Edward, Alice had grown up with another brother whilst living in Forks. Emmett Cullen was a year Alice and Edward's senior – he'd studied mechanics at college. It was there that Alice's burly 6'5" brother with his dimples and curly black hair had met his perfect girl; Rosalie Lillian Hale. She'd been majoring in car engineering too, and was top of her class – but she wasn't exactly the kind of girl that you'd expect to have oil under her nails. Rosalie was the proud owner of wavy golden hair, strikingly long legs and the kind of face every girl wished for; and she _knew_ that she was good looking, too, and used it to her advantage. But underneath the rather vain exterior, Rosalie had a sweet yet serious personality, and she was exactly the kind of person Emmett needed – so for that, Alice was extremely grateful.

Having seen all of her family finding people they loved, Alice couldn't help but feel a little sour. She was immensely happy for all of them and would never wish for it _not_ to happen, but she definitely had an empty feeling lurking in her chest. She loved her college and family, and she'd be graduating as the best in her class tomorrow; but what lay for her afterwards? She'd pursue a career in fashion, of course. But was she fated to be alone, or would she find someone eventually – in 1 year, or 20? Either way, Alice knew not to force anything; as long as she was happy in herself, love would come to her.

Realising that she really didn't have anything to be sad about, Alice popped a grin on her face and skipped over to the soon-to-be-newlyweds. Bella glanced up, smiling at her flat mate.

"One day left! Excited?" By this time, Edward was also beaming at Alice. Everybody was on a high due to the end of term and Alice wasn't about to ruin the spirit.

"I know! Except we have to wear those icky graduation gowns... I so wish I'd been let accessorize it. Even some nicer _buttons _could've made such a difference..." She paused for a moment, her eyes glazing over slightly as she imaged her perfect graduation gown. It would definitely not be as boring, or as long -but she was abruptly bought to the real world as Edward started laughing at her.

"One step at a time, sis. Maybe they'll let you start decorating them if you became the world's top designer, say." He grinned knowingly at her; Edward had always had the ability to tell what was playing on people's minds. Alice simply rolled her eyes at him.

"Anyway – shouldn't we be getting home soon? I mean, I need to paint Bella's nails and then we need to use some face packs to get all ready and exfoliated for tomorrow." She grinned, practically bouncing on the balls of her feet. However, Alice didn't receive quiet the reaction she was hoping for – infact, Bella groaned.

"Well excuse me!" Alice exclaimed, "But do you want to look nice for Charlie and Renee tomorrow or not?" That got Bella where Alice wanted her – she couldn't help but nod her head. "Thank you." She grinned at her, winking at Edward. Some would call Alice spoilt – but really she was just persuasive. "Let's go!" And with that, she bounced off down the street, the couple following behind.

--

**So yeah... tell me what you think! Like I said earlier, this chapter was really just about character developement; showing what they're like, etc. That'll help the events in the story become clearer. :)**


	2. Fleeting Moments

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Twilight, I just get to read it. I do own this plot, however.**

**Author's Note:** Wow. I didn't realise how happy reviews make you feel. XD I was so nervous last night – thinking that something would've gone wrong, but when I opened my inbox this morning I was pleasantly surprised by the response I'd gotten! :D Sorry about anyone that thought there were spelling mistakes; as I'm English, it's probably just words where we have an extra vowel or something than American English!

After much encouragement from my mum and friends, I decided that I'm going to write this chapter in 1st person. I actually play Alice on a Twilight RPG site (Equinoxrpg(dot)com - check my profile) and I'm often told how much like her I am, so I sincerely hope I'm able to pull her character off well!

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**2. Fleeting Moments**

My eyes flickered open as the vintage red alarm clock by my bed rang out loudly. I groaned, bumping the top of it with my right hand to silence the ringing, whilst slowly but gradually bringing my legs up from under the heavy cream and light green-coloured covers. Bella had once expressed concern that they'd crush me – which earned her a slap on the arm and a steely glare, sure enough.

As my brain slowly kicked into working, I began to realise that a delicious smell was emanating from the kitchen. My stomach began taking charge over my brain as I wandered into the black and white kitchen to see Edward flipping pieces of bacon onto 3 different plates which already contained eggs and mushrooms.

"You have no idea how much I love you right now." I grinned at him, stifling a yawn. "Bella still in bed?"

"Yep... she probably needs waking up soon, actually." This caused me to turn around abruptly and rush up to the door to Bella and Edward's room.

I inched the door open, smiling as I saw her fast asleep; Bella wouldn't know what hit her. Their room was gorgeous; cream walls with brown accents from the furniture around the room. The duck-egg blue curtains had patterns of brown on them too, which fitted in gently with the massive four-poster bed: the centrepiece of the room.

Once the door was open wide enough, I stepped back before taking a running leap onto their bed, and jumped as if my life depended on it.

"Arrrrggghhhhh!" Something groaned, inches away from my feet, and I just laughed.

"Time to wake up, Bellaaa!" She swatted at my feet, clearly irritated at having to get up. "Graduatioooon! _And_ Edward even made breakfast." My sing-song voice rang out, now inches away from her ear as I crouched next to her. Something that sounded a great deal like a string of profanities came from Bella's mouth, but I pretended not to hear: I was oddly twitchy for 6am in the morning.

"Ok then, I'll send Edward to get you up..." I grinned, slipping off her bed and walking towards the kitchen, grinning at Edward. "Your turn!"

He waltzed into the bedroom he shared with Bella as I sat down on one of the stools at the breakfast table. It must've only been half a minute when he came out, carrying her in his arms as she rubbed her eyes.

"Mornin' Bells," I laughed, as he placed her down on the stall next to me. "Sleep well?" I added, raising my eyebrows and smirking into a bite of my cereal.

"I was until YOU woke me up." She narrowed her eyes, but Edward pushed a cup of coffee into her hands and she immediately softened. "But... I suppose I'll thank you for it later."

"That you will, that you will." I grinned, and the three of us chatted and laughed as we finished up the breakfast. There was a touch of underlying sadness; although none of us had any plans to move out soon, finishing college was a sure sign of moving on.

The phone rang about an hour later, and we all had a quick chat with Renee, Bella's mother. You could virtually hear the air whipping past her as she rushed around the house: Renee and her husband Phil were staying with Esme and Carlisle, down at Forks. It was a 4 hour journey from Forks to the college, so they were just about to leave. It'd been suggested by Emmett that they might stay with Charlie, and travel down with him – but everybody else had agreed that that might _not_ have been the best idea.

--

We'd had finished dressing by the time it was 9.30am. Bella was wearing a grey pencil skirt, matched with a dark blue beaded blouse and black sandals with small heels. I, on the other hand, was wearing tight black trousers and a coffee-coloured, beaded, backless halter neck. Both pieces were from Emporio Armani, and I'd paired it with some 3.9", open-toed black Jimmy Choo heels. Due to my petite-ness, I almost always wore heels, so I'm pretty much a pro at walking in them. Bella, alternatively, could barely manage a step in anything above 2".

The doorbell rang, and as I opened the door, my massive other brother was standing there, grinning like a goon. "Look at you girls! Anybody would think you were models, not soon-to-be college graduates." He wrapped me into a hug, causing my feet to lift off the ground. Emmett-hugs were the best kind of hugs – he practically squished you until you couldn't breathe; but it was a loving squish.

"Hi Rose!" I grinned at her over Emmett's shoulder, and hugged her after Emmett had gone to attack Bella. Even though she'd known him for several years now, she still got a little frightened at the prospect of hugging him: but that just provided entertainment for the rest of us as we saw her running away, inevitably falling over furniture or her own feet.

Since we didn't have to leave for the college until about 10.30, due to it only being a 5 minute walk, we chatted for an hour, drinking coffee and laughing at stories of things similar to how Emmett ran across a bridge naked because a fortune cookie told him to, whilst Carlisle and Esme just _happened_ to be driving past.

10 minutes later, we found ourselves standing in a queue, as Bella, Edward and I waited to collect our gowns from student helpers. We were some of the first people there; the ceremony didn't start until 3, so we were quite early. Besides, being early and doing things at a relaxed pace had to be better, right? My mood by now was pretty dead compared to how I usually acted; I recognised that myself. This was the first time I'd ever really had to be on show for people... and receiving my degree was probably one of the most important things I'd ever do during my lifetime.

Even though most of the time was just spent walking around campus and chatting, it wasn't long before the time to head to the graduation tent came. We all sat down in our respective places; Edward and I next to each other under the surname 'Cullen', but Bella was much further away for 'Swan'. Emmett and Rosalie sat in the first row of family audiences with Renee, Charlie, Phil, Esme and Carlisle; and he'd promised a standing ovation for when each of us received our degrees. You could see Bella practically cringing when he'd been telling us; but it gained her a kiss from Edward, so she was happy as a bunny after that.

The college's principal gave a speech, followed by the valedictorian and the salutorian. The time seemed to fly by as the knot in my stomach grew, threatening to turn me into one big bundle of jelly as my name got called.

"Alice Cullen: Fashion Design and Marketing graduate!" Putting on a brave face to appear like I was as confident as always, I bounced up to the stage to shake hands and receive my degree. Emmett was roaring the background, but I merely grinned at him before re-taking my place in the seats as Edward joined me soon afterwards.

"That wasn't half as exciting as I was expecting it to be." I whispered to him.

He nodded, replying, "Not that special after all, eh? But this little piece of paper is important, Al – you've earned it. Remember that. Oh, and Rose and Emmett were wondering if we'd prefer to go back to theirs instead of a party?"

I grinned at this; it sounded much better than having to pretend to be chummy with everyone, as unsociable as it was. "I'm up for it if you are." Edward just grinned at this, seemingly agreeing with me.

It took a little while to get from Cullen to Swan, but as soon as they did, you could hear Emmett shouting: "GO BELLAAA! WOO HOOOO!" Everybody just laughed at him, but the man had no self pride, it seemed. Furthermore, Bella had turned the colour of a tomato. My heart went out to her; we were only human, of course, and Bella was far more prone to embarrassment than anybody else.

We arrived at Emmett and Rosalie's massive flat at about 7.30pm. We'd had to take a taxi, due to their apartment being across town. I'd just stared out of the window for pretty much the whole journey; my eyes had glazed over for the deep emptiness in my chest had grown today. Seeing all those families, all the couples who had already found each other... and I had nothing. Sure, I had my brothers, parents, Rose & Bella, but they all had each other, too. Rosalie had her own family too – another brother. And Bella had Renee, Charlie and Phil.

I'd caught a glimpse of blonde hair out of my window; an attractive face. His features were impossible to distinguish, but the young man's eyes had surely met mine, hadn't they? Just for a second, it'd seemed so-

"Alice? Aaaaliiice?" Bella came up behind me, touching my back. "Want a drink?"

"Oh, um... Yeah, I guess, sure." I grinned up at her, pushing my thoughts of the blonde boy to the back of my head.

"I called you quite a few times, are you okay?" She asked, looking concerned.

"Yep! You know me, fine and dandy." I grinned, before walking back with her to sit with the rest of the family.

--

I went to sleep that night, images of the blonde haired boy floating around my closed eyelids. It was silly, kidding myself like this; I'd probably never even see him again.

--

**Author's Note:** So... I hope that was ok, guys! I'll put a poll up on my profile where you can vote about if you prefer first person or third.


	3. Dream Dwelling

**Disclaimer:**** I don't own Twilight; Stephenie Meyer does. Lucky lady! I do own this plot, though.**

**Author's Note:** Ok, so I received the majority of votes to write this in first person, so here I go. I hope it's ok... Feel free to tell me if it isn't! XD Thank you to all the support and encouragement everyone has given me so far, and special thanks to Gwen/Anderling for checking Alice and Jasper's height difference in real life, and to Seb for being my unofficial Beta. Love youuu!

**3. Dream Dwelling**

_As I settled into my seat at the Java Bean with a steaming mug of coffee, I grinned thankfully at the attendant who'd given me a free biscuit. It was 2pm and the coffee house was quiet, before the rush of school kids arrived. _

_My head flicked towards the door as the bell rang, and I felt my jaw dropped a fraction. __**He**__ was standing there. Without realising, I was suddenly standing in front of him, my head just level with his chest, below his broad shoulders. His stunning blue eyes captured mine for a second, before I managed to spit out any kind of words;_

"_You've kept me waiting a long time." _

_It took me a few seconds to realise what I said and I felt my eyes open wider and my cheeks starting to burn. But he simply inclined his head, smiling and replying;_

"_I'm sorry, ma'am." _

_His soft voice struck me deeply and he took my hand, leading me back to the table where my coffee and biscuit were. I blinked, trying to comprehend what was happening; this wasn't __**normal**__, was it? _

"_I'm Jasper Hale, by the way. And you are... Alice Cullen." He grinned, his eyes only leaving mine for a second. "I've always loved the name 'Alice'." _

"_Erm...yeah." I smiled, my head still spinning slightly; he was __**dazzling**__ me with his eyes. "Wait –how'd you know I was called Alice?" I looked around before realising I was still wearing the badge from the interview earlier. "Oh." I grinned, feeling the blush rise to my cheeks again._

_Jasper laughed gently, before lifting his hand and rubbing my cheek with his thumb, cupping my chin in his hand. "I don't usually do this, but I have to know..." and with that, he leant forward, closing his eyes as-_

The sound of my blaringly noisy alarm clock right next to their ear would be enough to make anyone wake up extremely rapidly. I slammed my hand down on it, looking at the time – and double-taking. 3.30?! If this was some cheap joke of Edward's, he'd be feeling my wrath later on. I'd been dreaming, and it'd been _such_ a wonderful dream. But knowing that I'd never get back to sleep now, I opted for going into the open-plan living room/kitchen to watch a couple of movies.

As I plonked my quilt onto the sofa, I picked a DVD from the rack and slipped it into the slot. Grabbing the controls, I arranged myself into a comfortable position as the title screen came up; The Pursuit of Happyness. It was one of my all-time favourite movies and always made me cry too. But I was hoping that at 3.30 in the morning, I wouldn't be functioning quite well enough to cry.

I'd managed to make it through the whole movie without crying…almost. But by the time I got to the part where Chris Gardner received the job, I burst out in tears. That bit _always_ got me. I tried to sob quietly into my quilt but it must've been louder then I realised because Edward came out of his room, only wearing boxers.

"Alice? What's up?" He yawned massively and came to sit by me.

"The...movie..." I sniffed, before bursting out in another round of sobs. Without another glance, he trundled back into his room, bringing a very sleepy-looking Bella with him.

"I'll make coffee," he added, walking over to the petite kitchen. Bella rushed over to me, plonking herself next to me and hugging me to her chest, like a mother would a child. The gesture immediately helped me calm down and my breathing relaxed.

"Alice love, what's wrong?" She asked, rubbing my back soothingly. "And I know it's more than the movie."

"I just..." I didn't know quite how to explain it, so it ended up coming out extremely fast; "You have Edward, Emmett has Rosalie. I'm the only one in our family that is alone and everywhere I go I see _couples_!"

"I think I just about got that." Bella smiled softly, making my lips twitch upwards too. "But Alice, you know what I'm going to say; don't rush it. You're beautiful, fun, bouncy and have a great personality; ANY boy would kill for a girl like you. Don't fret because you haven't found the right one yet." She propped me up as Edward came over with the cups of coffee – gorgeous, aromatic, steaming coffee.

"I know... it just gets to be too much sometimes." I looked into the swirling brown liquid, hoping that my friends weren't thinking anything along the lines of 'she's pathetic'.

"Alice, Bella is right. I'm your brother, but I see all the men stare at you when we all go out together. Don't worry about it." He grinned at me, and I _had_ to laugh at that; it wasn't often that I got complimented by my brothers.

"Thank you... I think?" I grinned at him, sipping my coffee. "I'm going to the gym later, anyway. That's always a good place for boy spotting."

--

As I signed up with Bella for the aerobics class, my eyes wondered around the large reception area. There were a few blonde-heads, but none were like the one I was searching for.

With a towel slung over my shoulder and a water bottle in hand, we attended the class. Bella, always being clumsy, toppled over a couple of times during the exercises, but the lady taking the class was extremely understanding, even claiming that she used to be like that.

An hour later, we emerged from the class, red-faced and sweaty; not _exactly_ looking our best. I plugged in my iPod; 'Kiss from a Rose' by Seal playing. It was one of my favourite songs and I sang along softly under my breath as I waited for Bella to buy some water.

"_You became the light on the dark side of me,_

_Love remained the drug that's the high and not the pill..." _

My eyes flicked up as I heard a gorgeous deep voice joining in with the song.

"_Baby, I compare you to a kiss from a rose on the grave,_

_Ooh, the more I get of you stranger it feels, yeah." _

And didn't this man resemble the one I'd seen from the taxi window? The blonde hair, the striking blue eyes... or was I just imagining things?

I took the earphones out, pausing the song. "You know it?" I grinned.

"Why of course; it's only one of my favourites." I laughed, biting my bottom lip. I could practically feel his eyes studying me. But I was bought out of my reverie as a much higher voice said;

"Let's go shower – Edward is treating us to dinner tonight." Bella tapped me on the shoulder, forcing me to look around at her.

"Oh, erm, sure." I replied hesitantly, looking over at the young man who was, apparently, still studying me. "I'll see you around." I added.

He just grinned and nodded.

--

As started getting changed, Bella jostled my shoulder.

"Who was your friend back there?" She grinned, pulling a t-shirt over her head.

"Umm...I don't know. I was singing along to Seal and he just joined in." I smiled, thinking about it before noticing Bella's sweater. "Ooh! I _love_ this! Abercrombie, right?"

She laughed, replying; "Yep. Maybe I'm finally picking up your fashion sense, after all. Anyway, let's go – don't want to keep Mr. Chef waiting!"

--

All throughout dinner I'd been thinking of the boy at the gym. I couldn't seem to get him out of my head, even though I barely knew him. I mean, I'd only met him once; and possibly seen him once before that. But it didn't make any sense to become obsessed over him; I might never see him again, after all.

As I took a sip of wine, Edward mumbled something vaguely recognisable.

"I phoned Rosalie earlier to say thank you about last night."

"Uh huh." I grunted, not really listening.

"She had some interesting news."

"Well spit it out then Edward," Bella laughed.

"Her twin brother is in town. He's been offered a job here, or something."

My head snapped up; Ok, maybe he was right – this was interesting news. Although I couldn't get the other guy out of my head, I was excited at the prospect of meeting the brother of whom we'd heard so much about. "When's he coming?" I asked.

"Well she invited us around to dinner on Wednesday, so we'll get to meet him then."

"Oh, great! This lasagne is lovely by the way, Eddy." I grinned at him, my spirits having been raised by the day's events.

"Thanks," he laughed, "but don't you have that interview on Wednesday too?"

"Nope, it got moved to Tuesday." I grinned; I had bagged myself an interview with Mario's of Seattle. It was a big store that sold designer clothing (including Dolce & Gabbana, Marchesa and Prada), and I was hoping to get my foot in the door by getting a job with them. The thought of being surrounded by designer clothing everyday made far happier than anybody else could comprehend. But although the interview had been playing on my mind...

The man _still_ held precedence in my thoughts...

--

**AN: **Ok, finished. XD Please review, and I'll get the next chapter up ASAP!


	4. Déjà Vu

'**r****Disclaimer:**** I don't own Twilight; I'm just borrowing the characters for a bit.**

**Author's Note:** Thank you to all my reviewers. :D I'm so sorry it's taken this long to put this chapter up – I've been busy with school & parties, as well as rehearsals for a couple of shows I have coming up. XD Anyway, here you go!

**4. ****Déjà Vu**

As I finished putting on my make-up, I checked my appearance in the full-length mirror on my wardrobe. I was wearing an Armani skirt-suit, hoping that this would impress the manager at Mario's. I'd seen him around a few times and spoken to him before, and he was always wearing Emporio Armani suits and the like.

I had a quick chat with Bella over a cup of coffee, before setting off in a cab. She'd wished me good luck, but I was starting to feel the butterflies brewing in my stomach. This interview could mean getting a _very_ decent job, having just graduated; I'd be able to start saving straight away. Due to Carlisle having such a good job and so much money in his savings account, none of us had had to take out student loans. We'd all been really lucky not to have to rely on loans.

As the taxi arrived, I stepped out. My leg was shaking slightly; this would be the first serious job I'd ever had. I headed straight into the building and towards to the desk, as a girl looked up. Her name was Gianna, and I'd seen her around a lot; as I was a regular customer at Mario's, she'd learnt my name.

"Oh Alice, you're here! Early, too. One second." She motioned to a golden sticker with my name on it which I put on my blazer lapel, before Gianna pressed a button on the small black headset in her ear, speaking into it. "Alice Cullen is here early – would you like me to send her in?" There was a few seconds gap, before you replied "OK, sir."

Gianna looked up, grinning at me. "Right – go through those doors, it's the room at the very end. Good luck, Alice! It'll be great if you become part of the team." I smiled, uttering a nervous thank you.

The doors were massive and golden: everything in this store was designed to impress. They led into a wide stone corridor, with rustic candelabras lining the ceiling. I loved the feel of it; so grand, so designed – so fashionable.

I knocked on the door at the end of the corridor, and opened it after receiving a brisk "Come in". The room was absolutely huge; although it looked more like a chamber, the walls paved with stone and rustic furniture. The only modern feel to the room was the thick white carpet, partnered with a massive Persian rug which would've cost God-knows how much to buy.

As my eyes finally reached the centrepiece of the room – a gigantic wooden desk – I saw 3 men sitting there. Their skin sagged and they had dark, unforgiving eyes, but the voices were friendly enough.

"Welcome, Alice. I am the proprietor or Mario's... but you can call me Aro. And these are my business associates, Marcus and Caius. We'll be conducting your interview." He smiled, gesturing to a seat on my side of the desk; "get yourself comfy."

--

As I emerged from the grandeur of the office, and through the extravagant doors, I breathed a sigh of relief. As far as I could tell, the interview had gone well... the man named Aro had done most of the talking whilst the others simply watched, occasionally muttering something to him which he would then address to me. The dynamics of their group definitely showed him to be the most dominant of the three.

Gianna raised an enthusiastic hand towards me as I passed her, adding "We'll be in contact" with a wink. I nodded and smiled back at her before making my way out of the door.

As I flipped my silver phone open to text Bella quickly, a large notice caught my eye from the opposite side of the square; the 'Java Bean'. Curiosity catching the better of me, I clicked the 'send' button before walking over to the coffee house.

I didn't remember ever coming in here before, but the fact that it was in my dream made me think I must've – what other explanation was there? The surroundings were the same as in my dream too; brown leather chairs, the kind you sink in to, contemporary artwork and bags of coffee beans sitting on shelves on the walls. I've always loved places like this; the atmosphere in coffee shops seems to be permanently friendly, nobody stares at you as though you're doing something wrong; and the school/college kids are always welcome. This produced a smile as I remembered the many days when Bella, Edward and I had headed towards Starbucks after college, and I headed towards the counter to order my favourite; a mocha.

The guy behind the counter looked up at me and grinned as I approached. He was a perfect stereotype of tall, dark and handsome. The name on his badge read 'Seb', and he greeted me with a friendly, "Welcome to the Java Bean! I don't think I've seen you around before."

"You'd be right, this would be my first time visiting this lovely place." I smiled back at him, before my eyes flicked up to the price chart on the wall. "I'll have a large mocha, thanks."

"Sure, coming right up. Take a seat and I'll bring it over to you in a second." I nodded my thanks at him, before heading towards one of the cosy leather seats at the side of the room. It was a table designed for two, but it looked like I'd have it all to myself. Seb bought over my mocha along with a complimentary coffee, and I flipped open my phone to read the latest message from Bella; "You go, girl!"

I smiled, putting it back into my handbag as I bit into the cookie, admiring the art on the wall opposite. But my attention quickly got diverted as a somewhat familiar blonde bombshell decided to sit on the table down from me, his chair conveniently facing my direction. He was purely stunning; the exact kind of person you would expect to see on the catwalk, not to just meet in a coffee shop.

He winked, and I immediately felt myself blush as my eyes darted down into the swirling liquid of my coffee. I took a sip, trying to keep my eyes from his; but eventually, they found their way back and into his stunning blue ones.

It was then I realised where I'd seen that face before; he was the one who'd joined in with my singing at the gym. Of course! The recognition must have dawned on my face or something, because the chair opposite me suddenly became occupied and the very same, gorgeous deep voice purred; "Hello there...Alice Cullen."

A wave of worry passed through my mind before I realised I was still wearing the name tag from the interview, causing my cheeks to turn a deeper shade of pink. I _never_ blushed, but here I was, turning as scarlet as if I'd been confronted by my first crush.

"And who might you be? It is only fair that I should know your name now, after all..." And without a hesitation, the man replied:

"Jasper Whitlock Hale. Pleased to meet you, Ms Cullen."

--

**AN:** Ok, there we go, Jalice interaction and meeting. XD I shall try and get the next chapter up soon, _please_ review! It makes me write loads faster.


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